Causes

The main cause of the injury is also how it gets its name. It’s most often caused by a boxer hitting their fist on a human face or other hard object. However, it can happen to anyone who hits a hard object with a closed fist. It can also happen if you hit your flat hand very hard against a hard object.

How it’s diagnosed

Your doctor will evaluate your injury. As part of the evaluation, they’ll ask you how the injury occurred. You’ll most likely need an X-ray to determine if the bone is broken and if it’s broken in the neck of the fifth metacarpal. The doctor will need to make sure it isn’t another bone that’s broken or in a different spot. This extra care in diagnosis is needed because treatment differs for different types of broken bones.

Treatment options

The treatment options for a boxer’s fracture depend on the severity of your injury.

Some treatments that may be used include:

applying ice to the hand

using a splint to hold it stable while it heals

not using your hand for a period of time

keeping your hand above heart level

taking prescription or over-the-counter pain medication, depending on the amount of pain

cleaning and treating any wounds on the skin of the injured hand

taping the hand as a type of soft splint, with the pinky and ring finger taped together to help in healing

correction of the dislocated bone, which may be done with anesthesia

physical therapy if needed to regain full use of your hand

home exercises to regain strength and use of your hand

Your treatment may also include surgery if the break is severe enough, if the broken bone protrudes from the skin, or if there are multiple fractures. Surgery is also used for people who use their hands for minute motor skills, such as playing the piano.

Recovery

Recovery time varies based on the severity of the boxer’s fracture and the extent of treatment that was needed. If it was a simple fracture and you follow your doctor’s treatment plan, then your recovery may only last two to three weeks. However, if surgery or physical therapy is required, then your recovery time may increase to four to six weeks or possibly longer.

The following are some do’s and don’ts for recovery and aftercare:

Do’s

See the doctor if you have symptoms of boxer’s fracture.

Follow your doctor’s treatment plan.

Keep your splint on for the designated amount of time.

Go to all your physical therapy appointments if physical therapy is needed.

Do your at-home exercises daily.

Protect your injured hand while it heals.

Eat healthy and include plenty of foods with protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

Long-term effects

If you get your boxer’s fracture treated promptly and follow your treatment plan, there are normally no long-term effects. Usually, if there are long-term effects, they are minor and don’t interfere with your daily life.

Outlook

If treated and managed properly, a boxer’s fracture will heal completely with few to no complications. It’s important that you go to a doctor or medical professional as soon as possible after the injury occurs to ensure the best possible outcome.